


Picking Up the Pieces

by hedgehog_in_221B



Category: Pushing Daisies
Genre: Gen, Heartbreak, Sad!Ned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 12:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3528959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedgehog_in_221B/pseuds/hedgehog_in_221B
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a year spent searching for Chuck, Ned returns to the Pie Hole a broken man and receives a strange phone call from a mysterious caller.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Picking Up the Pieces

   The bell on the door tinkled its familiar sound, indicating that another customer had entered the Pie Hole. “Just a second!” Olive called out from the back as she gathered a few menus and sets of utensils in her hands and walked out of the kitchen, a smile on her face. Suddenly, that changed and the menus and silverware clattered to the floor to accompany her jaw. She was stunned. How long had it been since she'd last seen him?

   “Hey Olive,” said his familiar voice, one she'd missed sincerely. She couldn't find her voice, but her legs seemed to be working just fine as she ran forward and into his arms, wrapping hers as best she could around his waist. He chuckled and hugged her back, smiling. “I'm glad to see you, too,” he said. “It's been a while.”

   “Hey, Olive, what's going on out there?” called an unfamiliar voice from the kitchen, that of a woman. The piemaker looked up, his face puzzled. Suddenly, wiping her hands on her apron, came a young woman from the back. Her hair was long and brown and her eyes a piercing hazel, looking more green than brown. For a moment, Ned had thought she was...someone else. She looked up at him in surprise. “Olive?” she asked again and finally, Olive let go of her hold on the piemaker and beamed at the young woman.

   “Grace, this is Ned. He was the Pie Hole's previous owner. Ned, meet Grace. She's the one making the pies around here now.” Grace smiled politely up at Ned, who was extremely tall.

   “Hi,” she said. Ned did his best to smile at her.

   “Hi.” Olive looked back and forth between the two of them, her blinding smile still at large.

   “Grace, I'm gonna take Ned upstairs to get settled in. You can handle everything here, right?”

   “You got it, boss,” she answered, giving Olive a mock salute and one last glance at Ned. “It was nice meeting you.” With that, Olive whisked the piemaker out of the little restaurant and into the accompanying apartment complex above the building. Once outside the door to her apartment, she withdrew a key from a pocket in her dress and pushed it into the lock.

   “I'll be right back.” Ned smiled pleasantly at the small blonde woman as she disappeared into her home. He had to admit, it was nice being back in familiar territory. Of course, it would feel sort of empty for a while. He'd have to adjust to life the way it was a couple years ago when he was used to being alone and not caring about anyone intimately. Olive appeared outside her apartment with a key in hand, bringing Ned from his thoughts. She opened his old apartment door and it swung open. He stepped tentatively inside, the interior smelling dusty and not very much like home. “We'll have to clean the place up a bit, but it didn't make sense for me not to pay the rent while you were gone. I figured you'd want a place to come home to whenever you finally did come home. You are _staying_ , aren't you?” she asked, standing beside him. He nodded, smiling.

   “Yeah, I'm staying. Where else could I go but home?” Olive placed a reassuring hand on his arm.

   “Maybe we can talk later. I know you don't like talking about stuff and that you'd much rather let it eat away at your insides than let anyone else know what's bothering you. But I think it'd be good if we caught up tonight. I mean, you've been gone for nearly a year. Things have changed.” Ned nodded slowly.

   “Things _have_ changed. I'm different now. You're different. Everything's different. Change is everywhere and I'm not sure if I like it yet. But yeah, we should talk. I think talking will really help.” Olive smiled.

   “Good. I'll see you later tonight, then. I've gotta get back to work. Those pies don't serve themselves, ya know.” They both laughed and soon she was gone, the door shut behind her and the key in Ned's large palm. It felt so heavy. He set it down on the table by the door and flipped the lights on. They came to life and lit the room with a warm, fuzzy glow. He moved to the living room and drew back the curtains, letting in the sun. It felt warm on his skin and he closed his eyes momentarily and tried to pretend that the past few years didn't happen, that he was still alone and untouched by her. That she'd never reentered his life at all. He cursed Emerson Cod for letting that happen, though he knew he couldn't really blame the private detective; he'd only been doing his job. Ned leaned his head against the grimy window, the glass cool. He decided then and there that the only thing that would help him to forget, if only for the time being, was to clean the apartment. It needed a good dusting and off he went in search of a pair of rubber gloves and disinfectant.

   Hours later, Ned was seated on the couch, peering about the apartment and smiling to himself. The place looked just as it used to, at least the rooms he had cleaned. He refused to go into the bedroom yet, knowing that the sight of the two beds in the room would make him emotionally unstable and more prone to tears than he already was. Everything else, however, was dusted, scrubbed, and shined to perfection. He felt content for the first time in a while. Stripping off the gloves, he stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen. He placed them next to the sink and leaned against the counter, enjoying the scent of disinfectant. Peering up at the clock next to the fridge, he noticed that it was already five o'clock. Olive would probably be closing the Pie Hole early tonight. At least that was what Ned hopped she'd do. Despite how much he had enjoyed being alone before everything happened, he was in desperate need of someone's company and hers was as good as any, if not better. He moved from the kitchen and out into the living room, heading to the door to unlock it so she could just come right in. As he unlocked the door, his eyes drifted over to the table by the door where he'd set the key earlier. Next to it was a large pile of mail that he seemed to have missed earlier. He chuckled and picked up the pile, carrying it in his arms to the couch and laying it out on the coffee table. There weren't any bills in the stack. No doubt Olive had payed them all in his absence. He sighed. Yet another thing he'd have to repay her for. Leafing through the pile, he spotted several postcards, all vibrant in color with fun and exotic locations pictured on the front. He pulled a few out and examined them. Flipping them over, he recognized the familiar hand that they all seemed to be written in. He didn't dare read them. Not yet. He pulled out twelve postcards in total, all sent from the same person. Ned felt his heart tighten in his chest. One for every month he'd been gone. One for every month he'd spent looking for her. He threw them down on the coffee table, scattering them. He hated that she still made him feel this way; that the mere thought of her made him an emotional wreck. Ned wanted to be rid of her memory. He wanted to feel like himself again. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. His voice had left him for the moment and soon he heard the familiar click of heels on the floor as the door opened. Looking up, he saw it was Olive and with her was Digby. Ned suddenly found himself smiling from ear to ear. He was thrilled to see his dog again, even if he couldn't touch him. Digby came barreling into the apartment and jumped up onto the couch, getting as close to Ned as he knew was allowed. Ned wanted desperately to pet his beloved friend, but was unsure as to where he had last had his petting device. For now, he was content with just looking at Digby wagging his tail like crazy. Olive closed the door behind her and walked toward the couch, a smile on her face. “Digby seems happy to see you,” she said, sitting down next to the dog and depositing a box on the coffee table. Ned looked at it quizzically, spotting the Pie Hole logo on the top.

   “Pie?” he asked, his smile turning nostalgic. Olive nodded.

   “Yup. I had Grace make you something special. I figured you could use a little something sweet to help brighten your day.” Ned looked over at her and smile broadly.

   “Thank you. This really means a lot to me.” Olive beamed back at him, happy that she'd been able to bring some joy to him, even if it was only small.

   “So, how was your day?”

   “Not too bad. I cleaned the apartment as you can probably tell.” She nodded.

   “I knew I smelled disinfectant when I walked in here. It looks good, Ned,” Olive replied.

   “And your day?” She shrugged.

   “Same old, same old. I closed the Pie Hole early since you were back and were probably in need of some company. Grace was happy to be getting out early. Though I don't know what I'm gonna do with her now that you're back,” Olive said with a chuckle.

   “Well, I wouldn't fire her right away. I don't know if I can come back to work in the kitchen so soon. I'm out of practice,” he said, smiling a little sheepishly. Olive chuckled again.

   “Of course. That was stupid of me. Heck, I didn't even ask you if you _wanted_ your job back! I was just gonna give it to you.” He laughed. Olive's carefree conversation with him was so refreshing.

   “I do want to come back, but I don't think now is such a good time. I need some time to adjust again and get back into my old life.” Olive nodded.

   “Understandable. I'll give you all the time you need. For now, how about we dig into this pie?” she said with a smile, getting up and moving to the kitchen to retrieve some plates and utensils. Ned sat back on the couch and took a deep breath. With Olive here, he didn't have time to think about...her. It was as if a huge weight was being lifted off his shoulders. He felt better and realized that if he didn't have time to himself, he couldn't think about her. Even if this was only a temporary solution, it was better than no solution at all. Olive returned with a smile on her face and the two of them dug into the pie, even giving Digby a little. They chatted aimlessly about business in the Pie Hole and how everyone here was. It was nice to catch up on things after being away for a year. Unfortunately, it began to get late and Olive had to leave. Even though she was just across the hall from him, it seemed as if she was going miles away. Ned had begun to develop an attachment to the short blonde woman in only a short few hours and almost felt as if she were abandoning him. “I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we'll have breakfast together,” she said with a smile before wishing him a good night and closing the door to his apartment. Ned looked hopelessly at Digby, who sensed his sudden change in mood.

   “At least you're still here,” he said with a forlorn smile. He plopped himself back down on the couch, about to clean up the mess they had made when the phone rang. He looked up, bewilderment as clear as day on his face. “I wonder who that could be,” he said aloud as he rose and strode over to the phone in the kitchen. Picking it up, he felt his heart beat a little faster. “Hello?” There was a silence on the other end for a minute and Ned thought for a second that he might have imagined the phone ringing. He spoke again. “Hello?” Again, nothing. He sighed and was about to hang up when a voice came crackling through the other end. It sounded as if there was a bad connection.

   “Hello? Are you there?”

   “Who is this?”

   “Ah, good. I finally got you.” Ned furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

   “Who is this?” he asked again, beginning to grow irritated.

   “Who I am isn't important. What is, however, if what I've got to say. I don't have much time. If they find me, God knows what they'll do to me,” replied the voice, a man's from the sound of it. Ned looked at Digby, who was now seated on the kitchen floor, his head cocked to the side.

   “Well, what do you want?” Ned asked impatiently, not liking that he was talking to a complete stranger who seemed to know who he was.

   “They know about you. They don't know where you are, but they know you exist. I didn't know they were coming for me until it was too late and now I'm trying to save you from the same fate. If you can, get the hell out of wherever you are because where it is isn't safe anymore. They're good, Ned, and they will find you, one way or another.” He was in shock as he stared at Digby, his mouth hanging open.

   “Who? Who is looking for me? And how do you know my name?”

   “No time to explain. Look, all you need to know if that they know about your power. That's why you need to disappear. If they get a hold of you, I shudder to think what they'd do.”

   “I don't know what you're talking about.”

   “Cut the crap, Ned. They know you can bring the dead back to life. And they are coming for you.”

   “How do you know all this? Who are you? Who are these people you keep talking about?”

   “I gotta go. If they find me with this phone, I'm screwed. Take care, Ned.” The line went dead and Ned stared blankly at the wall, stunned beyond words. It took him a few seconds before he could get the phone back on its receiver and to calm down his racing heart. He leaned against the wall, trying to process everything that had just happened. Questions floated around in his head and he found it hard to even think straight. Who was this man that had called him? How did he know his name? How did he know about his ability? And, more importantly, who were the people looking for him and why? Ned soon had a headache from all of this and he tried his best to brush it off as a prank call or something. Of course, in the back of his mind, he knew that this couldn't possibly be a joke. It was too real, too specific. Someone knew about him and what he could do. He shuddered as he swallowed three ibuprofen and dragged himself back into the living room. He went to the door to his apartment and peered through the peep hole before bolting the door shut, paranoia already sinking in. After he was sure the door was secure, he plopped down on the couch again, leaving the mess on the coffee table uncleaned and the lights in his apartment on. He curled up on the far end of the couch, grabbing the blanket off the back and wrapping himself in it. Ned soon found himself in a fitful sleep that was plagued by images of strange masked men. It was the worst night of sleep he had ever gotten.

 


End file.
